So I get quite a lot out of being a bicycle courier and can be cycling around for hours which is my equivalent of a five kilometre run.
I would like to do more and have been warned against using tread mills. Does any one have any tips and tricks as I also find them a little more challenging then running out doors?, should I just stick to that for the time being?
Who on earth warned you against using treadmills and why?
They are an incredibly useful tool.
In what way do you find them challenging?
health board and reputable ones at that, always saying it is bad for the knees as it is not a natural thing to do with the impacts. I find it harder to run five kilometres at a steady pace then outdoors
What a load of tosh. Where's their evidence? Treadmills are by far much softer impact on the knees than tarmac or paving.
Anyway, it seems like you and me both are ignoring this advice 
"I find it harder to run five kilometres at a steady pace then outdoors"
Maybe you're setting the speed too high on the treadmill.
thank you. I keep the same cadence of 7-8 on the matrix tread mills, it just seems a lot more effort like the high interval training sessions and the amount of calories I burn as I do try and monitor them both on the tread mill dash board and through my Nike Apple Watch ⌚️
I also have no idea why you have been warned against treadmills either Runningout.
There is a rather irritating habit of calling them dreadmills by some, but I can honestly say that I’ve grown to really enjoy my workouts at the gym when I want to avoid hot, overly wet, or windy weather. Hey, it gets me running when I might not!
I use the NRC app and specifically enjoy their speed runs. It takes a bit of manual dexterity to adjust speed and/or incline on the fly, but it’s fun and time flies. It’s also recommended to set the incline to 0.5 or 1 to replicate wind resistance on regular runs.
Obviously it’s usually warmer than being outside, but you get used to it, plus the gym I use is air conditioned anyway. 🙏🏻
Don’t be put off. Go for it, have a play, and I bet you’ll have fun.
thank you for the words of encouragement, the aim is to be able to do a half marathon or something. I also bagged a bargain when I noticed buying my Apple Watch Series 3 that the Nike edition with the exclusive Nike training application was the same price but feel like I do not use all my health applications enough like sleep, cycle tracking. I always set incline to 1 for the same reason and my gym is also air conditioned best place to be in the heat waves we get.
I also noticed on a 5k run which is ball busting and can be for me 45 minutes to an hour I burn nearly twice or thrice as many calories doing a high intensity interval training session where I feel like I have fun for five minutes which is utterly baffling as well, my goals is to get back to the gym and work out more but my job takes it out of me and is in some ways equivalent to a 5 kilometre run or more on my bicycle
Who has warned against using them? It’s still running. There are benefits to running outside over running on a treadmill. There can be benefits to running on a treadmill compared with outside, especially in winter.
The main thing I struggle with on a treadmill is boredom. It’s worth planning some distractions. What is it you find harder than outside?
Good luck with whatever you choose to do going forward. The main thing is to keep running! 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️
we’ll miss understanding I have read many articles on health boards that support this and say it is not good for your joints or knees like running outside is. I run at an incline and with my bone conductor headphones but I just find outdoors a little easier
There’s rarely a consensus about anything. You can find plenty of articles saying treadmill running is fine. I’ve read that outside develops muscles/strength/joints better because of the changing terrain but that doesn’t mean running on a treadmill can’t still give you a good run.
What’s your running been like recently? I wouldn’t worry too much about whether you’re on a treadmill or outdoors. The main thing is to run in a way you can sustain and makes you happy (with the caveat that you’re not pushing so hard you’re at risk of injuring yourself).
thank you for the words of wisdom. Currently no running and just cycling to supplement it equivalent calories burned but I need to use some cycling applications to back that up.
And also a local running shop running group where the do interval running, building up to the locks flat marathon and a 5 kilometre weekly run
I’m not sure I’ve totally understood what you’re saying. If I’ve got it right, cycling loads is probably doing a brilliant job in keeping your general fitness up. If you’re not running, you’ll have lost some of the strength in your tendons, ligaments and the muscles running uses. When I started c25k, I was fit from doing a lot of other exercise but still needed to build up slowly to avoid getting injured.
Why not try c25k again to get back into running? You could do it on a treadmill-lots of posters here did it that way. The best pace to develop as a runner is conversational where you can speak out loud in full sentences. It sounds like you might be going too fast.
Good luck with whatever you do next. 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️
thank you. I thought as much. But like I have mentioned before cycling on a pedal ton stationary bicycle is not the same as cycling on the road like on a tread mill versus outdoors and the ligament issue is another reason that is pulling me towards outdoor running as well as it being free.
Hi Runningnut , I'm bewildered as to why you've been warned off treadmills. I've never run on one in my life, but I wouldn't tell others not to!
Could you tell us a bit more about your current running, both indoor and outside (terrain)? I'm guessing you're running in an urban environment if you're a bicycle courier. Also distance, duration, and any goals you might have?
That's a lot of questions, I know, but the more you can tell us about your running experience the better we can advise!
well I can be cycling I would guess flat out and at a steady pace maybe I would guess anything from 15-35 miles a day on deliveries in urban environments, as such my running has had to take a side track, I am not warning other people off using a tread mill as I intact liked running in the gym but have read so many articles like on reputable health board such as I believe patient access that running outside is better for you and let’s face it free which does not help with my ambitions as I am pretty much flat out and find it hard to get to some free local run groups
My goals are to get back into running either on the tread mill but I feel my cycling is helping even though I would like to get back into it draining as it is
I recommend and suggest that you don't run 'flat out' ... why are you doing that?
I am slowly building up to running longer distances for longer. Cycling as a delivery courier pushes me to flat out cycling but I appreciate your input and comparing cycling to running is not the same
Apart from boredom, the only problem I had with Treadmills was on extended runs.Winter "Top Up" training for a HM saw me trying the tm for the first and only a couple of times. Ten miles on two occasions saw me peeing blood afterwards. Doc told me not serious - its when your bladder is empty enough or whatever to where the sides chafe and abrade due to the bouncing - but it has never happened even once outside. So, for me they are not on the cards, but a run on a TM is - imho- better than not running at all.
thank you for your words of wisdom they are appreciated. I have not hit the gym for a long time due to cycling instead
Treadmills are a tool. Use them appropriately.
The problem with them is they do not challenge your balance and adaptation to lateral forces. Everything's at the same level and the ground beneath you does not change.
This makes it a possibility that when you run in the outside world you might have ankle problems as running on a treadmill doesn't develop the strength to cope with uneven ground or suddenly having to change course due to a dog or a toddler running across your path.
my thoughts exactly, cycling works your body differently as well as out doors compared to a stationary bike, I do not blame people when places like the gym offer a more temperate climate then outdoors
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